


For the Greater Good

by paintedbluerose



Series: Whumptober [9]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood and Injury, Gen, Hurt Zuko (Avatar), Protective Zuko (Avatar), Toph Beifong and Zuko are Siblings, Torture, Whump, Whumptober, Whumptober 2020, Zuko (Avatar) whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:55:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26936986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paintedbluerose/pseuds/paintedbluerose
Summary: Zuko and Toph are attacked while out alone. Zuko makes a deal to save Toph. He just wish it didn’t hurt so much.Day 9 Whumptober theme:For the Greater GoodPrompts:take me instead, run, ritual sacrifice
Relationships: Aang & Toph Beifong & Katara & Sokka & Suki & Zuko, Sokka & Zuko (Avatar), The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar), Toph Beifong & Zuko
Series: Whumptober [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1950010
Comments: 13
Kudos: 267





	For the Greater Good

**Author's Note:**

> I’m not entirely happy with this but I’m okay with it. The ending is just there and blah. But I’m behind and whatever. 
> 
> There is a lot of torture and blood and violence in here. If you are not cool with that don’t read. If you cool with it, read on!

It was late when they stopped but Zuko wasn’t tired. He couldn’t sleep no matter how tired he was. First it was his sister attacked them. Then it was Katara and whatever she did. Bloodbending she called it. A scary reminder what it really was. Her threat at the Air Temple to end his life seemed more possible. He hoped he never made her that angry.

“What are you thinking about Sparky?”

“Nothing.”

“That’s a lie. I can feel your heart race more than usual. You’re thinking of something.”

He sighed. He wasn’t a good liar to begin with but having someone who actually could tell when a person was lying wasn’t fun. “Thinking about the past couple days.” He shrugged.

“Your sister?”

He nodded. He wasn’t sure if she could tell or not. Maybe.

“She’s crazy.”

“You have no idea.”

“She’s a good liar.”

“I’m not surprised. Azula always lies.”

Toph sighed. “Come on.” She held out her hand towards Zuko. “We’re going for a walk.”

“Where to?”

She shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. We’ll just walk till we’re tired. Or it’s morning. Whichever comes first.”

He smiled. “Okay.”

They walked past the campsite, past the trees surrounding, past the hills and caves, until they found a beach. Neither one of them talked, preferring to walk in silence. It wasn’t until they were at the beach and Toph stepped in sand did she speak up.

“Ugh. I hate sand.”

“What’s wrong with it?”

“It’s fuzzy and I can’t see clearly.”

“I’m sure you could get it. You invented metalbending. If anyone could do sandbending, it would be you.”

She smiled. “I would punch you if I could see you.”

“I guess you’ll just have to work with the sand.” He pulled her to sit down with him. “We’re not going anywhere for a while. Practice. Play with it.”

He watched as she held the sand in her hands, moving it from one hand to the other. It calmed him seeing her moving the sand. He should have been keeping watch but he couldn’t take his eyes off what she was doing. It didn’t seem like anyone would be awake or around. It was late and they didn’t pass any towns.

Between Toph not able to see well on sand and he not able to see much on his left side, he should have paid attention. He didn’t. They came from his left and he didn’t notice until they were on them. If Toph was on solid earth, it wouldn’t have been so bad. But she was on sand; fuzzy, hard to move sand. He would have been better if he wasn’t worried how Toph was. She could take care of herself but he still worried. There were five guys against the two of them.

When one of them grabbed Toph and held her down, Zuko had to do something. “Stop! Let her go!”

“Let her go? Why would we do that? There’s someone who will pay good money for young girls.” The one holding Toph said.

“Let her go. Take me instead.”

They laughed. “Didn’t you hear stupid? I said girls. Not boys.”

“I know. But if you’re looking for money, you’ll get more from me.”

“No!” Toph screamed.

“And why’s that?” The man ignored Toph’s protests. 

“My father has a bounty on my head. I’ve seen the posters. Let her go. Leave her alone and I’ll go with you. You can claim the money.”

“Sparky no!”

The man called for one of the other men to hold onto Toph. He walked up to Zuko with a fire in his hand and took a good look at him. Zuko could tell the exact moment when the man recognized Zuko as his face lite up with a huge smile.

“Boys, let the young lady go. We got ourselves a traitor.”

“No. I’m not leaving without Sparky!”

“She will.” Zuko spoke before anyone else did. He had to get her to leave. He didn’t want to be taken but it would save her. He had to protect her. “She’ll leave.”

The man narrowed his eyes at Zuko. “You have one minute to persuade her to leave or she comes with us too.”

Zuko nodded. He ran to Toph and knelt down beside her. “You have to go.” He whispered.

“I won’t leave you here alone.”

“We can’t win right now. I need you to go back and get help. You need to protect the group. You can find me. Okay?”

She nodded and walked away from Zuko. He watched her leave and hoped that wouldn’t be the last time he saw her. He was about to ask if he was going to be put in chains when he felt a pain in his head and fell into darkness.

~~~~

Zuko woke up with a throbbing headache. He didn’t want to open his eyes and face the brightness of light. Any light. He went to move his arms to cover his eyes when he realized he couldn’t. He couldn’t move his body.

He jerked himself awake as he remembered what happened. He looked around and saw his arms pulled high above him in chains and the chain went up to the ceiling, to the corner, and down the wall where it was tied. His feet were chained to the floor with very little room to move. If the chain against the wall was pulled, he would be stretched and no doubt pull or break something.

There was no furniture in the room except a small table closer to the wall with the chain. The more Zuko looked, the more he could make out what was on the table. He wished he hadn’t. It was more than just knives, it was full of instruments to torture a person. Considering Zuko was only in his undergarments, he would be a blank canvas for torture.

He reminded himself he walked into this, he did it for Toph. He’d do it again to save her. He just wished the Dead or Alive bounty wasn’t so open to interpretation.

The man who made the deal with Zuko opened the door and Zuko was hit with a blinding light. “Ah, you’re awake. Good. We can begin.”

Because Zuko was stupid, he had to open his mouth. “What are you going to do?”

Deal Maker smirked. “I sent a hawk to let the army know I have you. While we wait for them, I’m going to have some fun.”

Deal Maker picked a knife and a rod. He walked around Zuko as if trying to find the perfect spot to start. A sharp pain hit his back as the knife went in. Another two stabs. Zuko could feel the blood fall down his back.

The knife went in his back again but instead of being pulled right back out, Deal Maker dragged the knife through Zuko’s back from the top to the bottom. Zuko let out a scream as the pain intensified.

“I hope you’re having fun Prince Zuko. I know I am.” Deal Maker said, standing in front of Zuko now.

He stabbed Zuko in his shoulders, his chest, his thighs, his hips-almost everywhere skin was exposed. Zuko felt like he was bathing in his own blood. How could he survive this much blood loss? Could anyone?

Deal Maker tossed the knife aside. He used his firebending to heat up one end of the rod and drove it into Zuko. First in his already sore shoulder. Zuko screamed as the burning metal entered his body. He wanted it to stop. Deal Maker drove the rod into his thighs next. His leg. His side. His back. Each time the heated metal burned his body his screams grew louder.

The rod was dropped and Zuko prayed it would be over. He knew it wouldn’t be but he prayed.Instead Deal Maker pulled on the chains, making Zuko stretch too far and tied the chains to keep Zuko where he was. He could feel his body ready to snap and break. 

Deal Maker grabbed a whip, the cat, and began whipping Zuko. The small spikes attached to each whip dug into Zuko’s skin and he could feel his blood spraying everywhere.

Before Deal Maker could finish whipping Zuko, someone knocked at the door. “The army must be here now. Shame our fun must end.”

He opened the door but it wasn’t the army. A boomerang flew in and knocked him out. Zuko never felt happier to see a person get hit with a boomerang.

“Zuko!” Sokka called out. “Oh buddy...oh no...” 

“Hey...” Zuko tried to smile. “You’re here.” It was at that moment the pain caught up with and relief from being saved caused him to black out.

~~~~

Sokka knew Zuko would be in trouble when they found the abandoned house. It didn’t help that they could all hear his screams before they were even close to the house. But opening the door and seeing Zuko a bloody mess was a different story. It seemed like no part of him wasn’t covered in blood.

Sokka had to get Zuko down from his chains but he didn’t want to move him wrong and cause him more pain. He called for his sister (he didn’t want her to see the pain ever, even if she would to heal him) because she would know how to best move him.

“Oh this is bad.” She gasped.

“I know. Help me out. I’ll loosen the chains and you watch him.”

He didn’t notice Suki enter or leave. He did notice when she came back with Zuko’s cloak. “Here. Put him in this for now. We can carry him out. We need to leave before those men wake up and Katara needs to heal Zuko.”

Sokka was the one who carried Zuko onto Appa. He still held onto him as Katara healed him. It seemed like every time she heal one spot, two more appeared.

The only sound coming from any of them was Toph crying. Hearing the unfamiliar sound broke Sokka more than he cared to admit.

He could see Katara become exhausted but still work. Normally he would have told her to rest. They couldn’t afford that right now. Zuko couldn’t afford that.

It wasn’t until morning Katara said she was done. She did all she could. Half a day spent healing Zuko.

It was another half a day before Zuko woke up. Sore but alive.

Toph was the first to hug him. Sokka pretended to not hear her apologize or Zuko tell her he’d do it again for her.

They spent the rest of the day hugging and staying close to one another. And if they happened to sleep in a very close pile that night, no one complained. 


End file.
